Monday, April 23, 2018

This past weekend my husband took us up to Navron, Pennsylvania. It was my Valentine's Day present from him. He planned our buggy ride and got us a bed & breakfast minus the breakfast. Well, they had a breakfast, we just didn't realize it. Next time!

We headed up to Pennsylvania on Friday and made it to Navron which is part of Lancaster County. Fred made reservations at Churchtown Inn Bed & Breakfast. We didn't stay at the main Inn. They have two cottages and we stayed at the Covered Bridge Cottage at the Poole Forge Estate. It's on 23 acres and used to be the Paymasters and is from the 1700s. They have all the comforts of the 21st century, but as soon as you pull up to the stone cottage, you're transported to the past.

We went to the Windmill Family Restaurant which was just outside of town. Cute on the outside and the food was good. Fred got the spaghetti and meatballs which he seemed to love. I got my typical burger and it was delicious! It was huge so I couldn't eat the entire thing.

In the morning we headed out to Ronks which was where we were going for our very first buggy ride. We used A is for Amish Buggy Rides. They have several options for rides: Amish Paradise Trail, Amish Family Tour, Amish Farm Tour, and Custom Amish Tour. As soon as you get to the location, they have petting zoo. When we were there they had 2 llamas, 2 pigs, 2 goats, and a pony. You can get a tiny handful of food to feed them while you wait. We opted for the Amish Farm Tour. Our buggy wasn't really a buggy, but more of a wagon. I'd say there were about 15 of us in it along with our driver, David. He regaled us with stories about Amish life and cracked a ton of jokes.

I had this view of Amish being staunch, cranky, and standoff-ish with Englischers. He wasn't that way at all. He was absolutely delightful! He brought our wagon to the Lapp family farm. David walked us around the farm where we were able to pet horses & calves and hold chickens! Seriously, I was living the dream. I held baby chicks and a hen! It was wonderful.

After our little tour we hopped into the wagon to head back. The buggy rides share the same spot as the Red Caboose Motel & Restaurant. We've already decided that the next time we go back we're going to stay in one of the cabooses. We took a tour and they were really cool! 6 people could fit inside with 4 bunks and a queen size bed.

We drove back to the Lapp farm to take a look around at all of their goodies. They had everything you could possibly imagine: aprons, snacks, dish towels, furniture, and so much more. One of the reasons Fred brought us up there was because we've been wanting to get new bedroom furniture. Thankfully there was a single bedroom set there and we loved it. We also found some wall cabinets that would be perfect in our living room! Of course I saw a fabulous dining room table and chairs. So many things...

The man who builds them was at a meal so we decided to go out to eat lunch. Apparently smorgasbords are the "thing" in Lancaster County. Nothing like 8 soups to choose from, a good dose of homemade breads, and a buffet of salad options. We filled up and headed back just in time to speak to the gentleman who does the furniture. Let's just say we're excited about the possibilities!

Thankful for our handy dandy packet the sweet folks at the Inn created for visitors, we found some delicious places to stop on our way back. To say we bought our weight in baked goods is putting it mildly. One little shop was alongside the road (these are dotted everywhere) and I got my first sampling of chicken pot pie - which is crustless and more like soup, chocolates, and homemade triple berry jelly. On the map was Sadie's Bake Shop. It wasn't far from our cottage. We got some fresh donuts and I picked out a half lemon pie. It was interesting because it had a cake type topping with a small layer of lemon cream. So delicious!

After we got back to the cottage, we chilled out for a little bit and then headed to Shady Maple. This was a smorgasbord that Fred's dad recommended and was also in our packet. Now, I will say that I didn't want to stay because the place is gargantuan from the outside and so was the line! Fred read the website and it showed not to be intimidated by the line. We were probably in line for 15-20 min before we were seated. The food was incredible. The fried shrimp I could've gone back for hour after hour. They had an older gentleman playing the accordion walking around and stopping at a variety of tables. They have an enormous store downstairs that had everything under the sun. As you walk out of the restaurant section there's a little bakery with pie prices better than you'll find anywhere! I'm still regretting not coming home with the chocolate cream pie. BUT, here's where we totally scored...as we were window shopping downstairs, we heard an announcement that any of the baked goods on the table were half off. I pretty much dragged Fred back upstairs and we came home with 2 loves of specialty bread for under $4!!

Sunday morning we woke up leisurely to check out at the Inn. I took a few pictures of the little street they're on. Actually, across the street is an Episcopal church that the Inn owner mentioned President Washington attended in the 1700s. Pretty cool.

We took off and headed to a church one of Fred's college friends attends. It's a huge church and their coffee bar/bakery was incredible. The drive home was pretty great. We took back roads and stopped at a terrific little antique shop. Sadly, their computers were down and we'd spent our cash back in Lancaster. I think Fred & I need to do more trips and one being where we visit all of the antique shops we can find. Those and bakeries! Trust me, I'm still recovering from all of the baked goods!